Blue Badge

Using your Blue Badge

Blue Badge holders can sometimes park for free and with no time limit at parking meters and pay and display street parking unless a local traffic order specifies a time limit and/or charge.

A Blue Badge will also let you park on single or double yellow lines for up to 3 hours, except where there is a ban on loading or unloading. When you park on yellow lines or in other places with a time restriction, you need to display the blue parking clock set to show your time of arrival.

There must be an interval of at least 1 hour before the same vehicle can be parked in the same road or part of a road again.

The Blue Badge must be displayed, together with the blue parking clock showing the quarter hour period of arrival so it is visible from outside.

Blue Badge window stickers are available to help camera enforcement cars identify Blue Badge holders. They should be placed in the rear screen on the driver’s side in addition to the Blue Badge and time clock. They are only valid within Central Bedfordshire Council area. They can be obtained from any customer services officer at council offices.

Where can’t you use a Blue Badge?

You can’t use it:

in places with a ban on loading or unloading (as indicated by 1 or 2 yellow marks on the kerb with times shown on the post mounted plates)

where there are double white lines in the centre of the road, even if one of the lines is broken

in a bus or tram lane during its hours of operation

in a cycle lane

on any clearway, double or single red lines during their hours of operation

on Zebra, Pelican or Toucan crossings

on zigzag markings before and after Zebra, Pelican or Toucan crossings

on a residents parking bay, unless there are signs showing that you may do so, or you have checked with the local authority's Highway Department

in suspended meter bays or when use of the meter is prohibited

where temporary restrictions are in force, such as no-waiting cones

on school 'keep clear' markings during the hours shown on a yellow no-stopping plate

in certain town centres, where access is prohibited or limited to vehicles with special permits issued locally

in some parts of Central London

at some airports

in off-street car parks. Some may provide spaces for disabled people, but you may have to pay

If you park where it may cause an obstruction or danger to other road users:

your vehicle could be removed by the police

you could be prosecuted and your Blue Badge withdrawn

Vehicles cannot be wheel clamped on the public highway for parking offences, provided a valid Blue Badge is correctly displayed on the vehicle. But if you park improperly on privately owned land, you may risk having your vehicle wheel clamped.

The vehicle must be moved if a police officer or a traffic warden in uniform requests it.